Find out how popular the last name Zhou is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Zhou.

Zhou, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Zhou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zhou in America

Zhou is the 1532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zhou surname appeared 23,437 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Zhou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zhou to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Zhou

The surname Zhou has its origins in China, with records of the name dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). It is considered one of the oldest and most prominent Chinese family names. The name is derived from the ancient state of Zhou, located in present-day Shaanxi Province, which was a major power during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).

During the Zhou Dynasty, the name Zhou was closely associated with the ruling royal family and nobility. Several important historical figures bore this surname, including Zhou Gong, a renowned statesman and philosopher who is credited with establishing the principles of the Rites of Zhou, a comprehensive guide to governance and social norms.

The earliest recorded instances of the Zhou surname can be found in various ancient texts, such as the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, a monumental historical work completed in the 1st century BC. This text contains detailed accounts of the Zhou royal lineage and their influential role in shaping the course of Chinese history.

One of the most famous individuals with the Zhou surname was Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), a prominent Chinese communist revolutionary and statesman who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death. His significant contributions to the establishment and development of modern China have cemented his legacy as one of the country's most influential political figures.

Another notable figure was Zhou Youguang (1906-2017), a renowned linguist and economist who is best known for his instrumental role in developing the Pinyin romanization system for Mandarin Chinese, which has become an international standard for transcribing Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet.

The Zhou surname has also been associated with various place names throughout China's history. For instance, the ancient state of Zhou was located in what is now known as the Zhou County in Shaanxi Province, which continues to bear the name to this day.

Other prominent individuals with the Zhou surname include Zhou Tienyi (1914-1999), a Chinese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry, and Zhou Xuan (1918-1957), a celebrated Chinese writer and poet known for his innovative literary works during the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zhou

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Zhou.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Zhou was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Zhou has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Zhou was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zhou, please contact us.

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